Disclaimer: The Tampa Bay Bloggers received a special Dough fall menu preview in exchange for live tweeting and blog posts.  The opinions shared are my own.

Once again, Datz opened its doors (actually its next door doors at Dough) and offered the Tampa Bay Bloggers a place to “Share What We Learned”.  We filled our minds and our tummies as we sampled the small plates of Dough’s newly acquired Chef,  Domenica Macchia.

For our Fall Meetup, we had a first look and taste at Chef Domenica’s creations.  Upon arrival, we were greeted by sunshiny smiley Prickly Pear Mimosas and I must confess. I had more than one.  It was dressed with skewered fruit.  That makes it healthy, right?

*Picture Caroline, Crystal and Teresa*

Once the room began to buzz with bloggers, Dough served another healthy selection, a Passport Salad with Belgium endive Spanish olives, Turkish figs, French goat cheese and crispy garbanzo beans.  The toasty garbanzo beans offered a nutty taste which complimented the figs.  Datz has made me very fond of figs.

As the small plates continued to flow around the room, the bloggers’ knowledge also flowed.  One by one, each blogger shared one take away they learned from this year’s conferences.  As we discussed the not-so-complexities of SEO thanks to Yoast, we dug into Not Yo Mama’s Mac & Cheese.  The combination of silky, creamy béchamel with a bit of heat, a three cheese blend smothering penne with a panko topping added a comfort food element to an already comfortable crowd.

The sea of knowledge in the room set a great mood for the next dish to grace us.  The Sea & The Swine presented a pan seared scallop with a bacon brittle topping.   The chewy, glazed bacon, a signature ingredient is so many Dough dishes, added a lovely sweetness to the seared scallop.

The Steaks Are High paired perfectly to the meaty topics presented that evening.  There’s so much to blogging and more that meets the eye, much like Dough’s strip plank steak with a valronah chocolate coffee sauce and its blue cheese cheesecake.  It was a gorgeously rich combination, just like the combination of bloggers in the room.

Many people wondered and secretly hoped that Chef Domenica‘s famous Duck-Fat Fries would make an appearance.  In fact, the duck-fat fries did and they are remarkable.  The rumors are true.

We laughed and shared as the Boozy Banana Foster Shake entered the scene.   I loved the old fashioned ice parlor soda shop presentation.

But it was Bobby Boucher Spritz that became my drinkable dessert, my Waterboy if you will.  This spicy, warm-your-cockels cocktail concoction mixes Cherry Heering liqueur, overproof burbon, Bénédictine and sweet vermouth.

In the usual Tampa Bay Bloggers fashion, no one left empty-handed.  Each blogger received swag bag filled with items provided by Tampa Bay Radiation Oncology, My Stylist Dean and Oakstead Family Dentistry.  But it was our brains and our bellies that were truly full!

*Photo credit to Gerado Luna Photographs*

Datz always treats the Tampa Bay Bloggers right and we love the royal treatment every time we organize  tweetups there.  Chef Domenica officially started on Tuesday and she requested patrons to stop by the kitchen to say, “Hi”, “Because it gets lonely back there in the kitchen”, she said.

So, when you visit and you know you will just to try a small sample of that steak and blue cheese cheesecake or the seared sea scallop with bacon brittle or Domenica’s famous duck-fat fries, tell her the Tampa Bay Bloggers sent you.

*Photo credit to Gerado Luna Photographs*

Who knows? A mimosa may meet greet you at the door.  If not, the doughnuts certainly will smile at you from the glass cases.